House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017.
- House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes sent a list of 10 questions to top US officials to get answers on how they handled information contained in the so-called Trump-Russia dossier.
- That dossier, compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Republicans into corruption and bias against President Donald Trump at the FBI and the Justice Department.
- Nunes said he will "initiate compulsory process" if his questions are not answered by March 2.
As his investigation into corruption and bias at the FBI and the Department of Justice enters its next phase, House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes sent a list of 10 questions to current and former intelligence, law enforcement, and US State Department officials about the infamous dossier on President Donald Trump.
"If you do not provide timely answers on a voluntary basis, the Committee will initiate compulsory process," Nunes wrote in his February 20 letter, obtained by Fox News. He told the officials to respond by March 2.
The letter contains a series of questions that attempt to uncover who knew what was contained in the Trump dossier and when, as well as whether intelligence officials shared information in the dossier with any third parties.
The dossier, compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, alleges that the Russian government has compromising information on Trump. Nunes contends that the FBI and the DOJ unjustly used the dossier to obtain a surveillance warrant on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser.
Former FBI Director James Comey described some aspects of the dossier as "salacious and unverified," but earlier this month, Trump cleared for release a memo - spearheaded by Nunes - that admitted that Steele's reporting was at least "minimally corroborated." As far as we know, many of the allegations remain unverified.
The Nunes memo claims the FBI and the DOJ withheld pertinent information about the partisan nature of the origins of the Trump dossier. Steele's work on the dossier was funded by the Democratic National Committee and a law firm connected to former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.
Democrats contend that the Nunes memo painted an inaccurate picture of what really happened, and the ranking member on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, tried to release a rebuttal memo, but Trump blocked it from being declassified.
Nunes' latest query is part of what the Republican congressman has called "phase two" of his investigation, focusing on potential corruption at the State Department. Nunes has said he hopes to release up to five more memos.
Here are the 10 questions Nunes wants answered:
- "When and how did you first become aware of any of the information contained in the Steele dossier?
- In what form(s) was the information in the Steele dossier presented to you? By whom? (Please describe each instance)
- Who did you share this information with? When? In what form? (Please describe each instance)
- What official actions did you take as a result of receiving the information contained in the Steele dossier?
- Did you convene any meetings with the intelligence community and/or law enforcement communities as a result of the information contained in the Steele dossier?
- When did you first learn or come to believe that the Steele dossier was funded by a Democrat-aligned entity?
- When did you first learn or come to believe that the Steele dossier was funded by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and/or Hillary for America (Clinton campaign)?
- When did you first become aware that the Steele dossier was used to obtain a FISA order on Carter Page?
- Was President Obama briefed on any information contained in the dossier prior to January 5, 2017?
- Did you discuss the information contained in the Steele dossier with any reporters or other representatives of the media? If so, who and when?"